Google Launches New Apollo 11 'Experiences' to Celebrate Moon Landing's 50th

Learning about Apollo 11 just got even easier.

Google announced today (July 10) that it's launching a variety of new "experiences" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic moon mission, which put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.

For example, Google users can now view the Apollo 11 command module in zoomable 3D, via the search giant's AR (augmented reality) in Search feature. This will mark the first time users can experience a cultural artifact via AR in Search, which debuted this past May, Google representatives said.

This content is available via the AMP Stories format and will also appear in the Apollo 11 Knowledge Panel in Search, Google representatives said.

In addition, in a collaboration with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Google is making available, directly via Search, 20 new stories that focus on lesser-known aspects of Apollo 11. For example, one chronicles the contributions of computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, who created the onboard software for Apollo 11 and helped coin the term "software engineering." 

The Smithsonian, NASA and several other partners contributed to another one of the newly unveiled projects — 40 new Apollo 11 exhibits on Google Arts & Culture. You can read NASA's month-by-month guide from January 1969 through that June, learning how the agency prepped for the historic mission; peruse the Television Academy Foundation's interviews with Walter Cronkite and other broadcasters who covered the moon landing; and much more.

Happy hunting!

• The Apollo Moon Landings: How They Worked (Infographic)
• How the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Worked (Infographic)
• NASA's Moonwalking Apollo Astronauts: Where Are They Now?

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.